blackberry

For the 10 people (okay, maybe 20) who still have a Blackberry among your contacts, having a Blackberry Messenger is still very much convenient way of communicating with the rest of the Android, Windows or iOS people. The latest update for their BBM for Android app brings more customizable options as well as support for those who have Android Wear smartwatches.

Samsung is reportedly buying Blackberry. According to sources familiar with the matter who opted remain anonymous, Samsung would be looking to gain access to Blackberry’s patent portfolio. If the deal were to go down, the company would be bought for as much as $7.5 billion. It’ll cost $13.35 to $15.49 per share, or 38-60% over what Blackberry currently trades at.

Android apps running on BlackBerry? This isn't a new thing because apps have been running on BlackBerry 10 OS for some time now but the Canadian smartphone pioneer recently teamed up with Amazon. In line with the arrival of the BlackBerry Classic smartphone, this partnership is an effort to bring more Android goodness to the platform. The new smartphone is said to run BlackBerry 10 OS 10.3.1, Amazon Appstore, and an Android Runtime.

Just in case you've somehow forgotten, BlackBerry Messenger is still alive and is on other platforms as well, giving the loyal BlackBerry users a free messaging connection to those on Android, iOS, etc. The latest update brings a host of other features that has been available in other messaging apps but is now just being adapted by BBM. Still, better late than never.

BlackBerry is still pushing BlackBerry Messenger – more popularly known as BBM – to compete with all the other messaging apps out there. We won’t question their commitment to their once hugely popular chat and messaging platform – and even now they’re still pushing new features to the app.

BlackBerry isn’t giving up anytime soon. Yep, the Canadian smartphone pioneer is still in the business. CEO John Chen is still confident that the company can still be relevant in the market today. Recently, it released a new model in the form of BlackBerry Paspport—a phone that combines touchscreen goodness with the familiar physical QWERTY keyboard.

They’re still the top smartphone in the market in terms of device shipment, but OEM Samsung has suffered a minor slip in numbers, according to data released by the IDC for the second quarter of 2014. Meanwhile,when it comes to platform, Android has dominated the market with an 85% share in the second quarter, leaving Apple, Blackberry and Microsoft Windows Phone in the dust.

Using Android apps on a BlackBerry 10 smartphone is about to get a bit easier thanks to Amazon. A newly announced deal between Amazon and BlackBerry will have the Amazon Appstore coming available on BlackBerry 10 smartphones. This is expected to happen "this fall" with the arrival of BlackBerry 10.3.

Things have been rather silent on the BBM front lately, but that's supposed to change today with the rolllout of the next version of its Android app. In version 2.2, BlackBerry is making it easier for more people to join in on the BBM fun.

T-Mobile is at it again with another "promo" that will surely ruffle BlackBerry's feathers once more. This time, however, the US carrier is encouraging its BlackBerry-toting subscribers to switch not to an iPhone but to any Samsung smartphone.